Technology policy is at the heart of the Obama administration, Susan Crawford, special assistant to the president for technology, science, and innovation policy, told attendees at the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy Conference in Washington, DC, today.
Among the administration technology moves that she cited:
- Appointing the first chief technology and chief information officers in the White House
- Launching an online safety and technology group under the auspices of the Department of Commerce that will look at empowering parents to protect their children online
- Providing a new searchable Web site, Data.gov that links to a wide variety of databases covering topics from HHS info on H1N1 flu to a study of residential energy consumption
The administration is still young, however, Crawford added. Its upcoming goals include improving broadband accessibility in the United States. “The key to innovation years ago was being near a port or river,” she said. For small businesses today, she added, broadband is essential.
“This is about restoring American competitiveness,” she said. “Our broadband connections are slow and expensive. We are not falling behind. We are definitively behind.” The ultimate goal: to close the gap in broadband between rural and urban, rich and poor, and racial divides. —Donna Tapellini
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